Yager is a developer that has managed to develop a cult following. Responsible for the impressive Spec Ops: The Line, Yager Productions was then trusted with the creation of Dead Island 2, the sequel to the light-hearted zombie co-op title of 2011. The future looked bright for the developer, with the prospect to build upon its historical successes.

Unfortunately for fans of the developer, the short term financial prospects for the company look incredibly bleak. According to a report from Games Industry, Yager Productions is filing for insolvency, in an attempt to secure its staff’s wages. The developer’s managing director Timo Ullmann gave a statement explaining the decision, explaining that the company plans to “gain time to sort out the best options for reorganising this entity.”

The managing director also gives a primary reason for the company’s filing for insolvency, stating that the move is a direct result of the recent cancellation of Yager’s contract to work on Dead Island 2. In the same statement, Ullman said that “Yager Productions GmbH was assigned to the development of the Deep Silver title Dead Island 2,” continuing to explain that “the insolvency filing is a direct result from the early termination of the project.” Given that Yager acts as a “single-purpose company,” the cancellation of the contract raises some serious financial concerns.

The news that Deep Silver was parting ways with Yager over the Dead Island 2 development process was revealed last week. The publisher since explained that Yager’s vision of Dead Island 2 was falling “out of alignment” with that of Deep Silver. “Deep Silver has always been dedicated to deliver the sequel that Dead Island fans deserve,” read a statement from the publisher. “After careful consideration, today we announce the decision to part ways with development partner Yager.”

The development of Dead Island 2 has always been struck with difficulty. The game, which was originally slated for a 2015 release after its announcement at E3 2014, was forced to be pushed back to 2016 after delays in the development process. With Yager leaving the project, and no developer yet named to take the title on board, it would not be surprising to see Dead Island 2 see further delays.

Of course, fans of the Dead Island games are no strangers to long waits; the original game faced a number of delays, and ended up releasing 5 years after its initial announcement. The future of Yager may be more of a concern, however. Although the developer is continuing to work on upcoming combat flight sim Dreadnought, such extreme measures as filing for insolvency are not to be taken lightly. Let’s hope that the developer can find a way to get back on its feet.

Source: Games Industry